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<title>Eight Makes One Team (Love me as I am) by gwiyeosang</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23134111">Eight Makes One Team (Love me as I am)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/gwiyeosang/pseuds/gwiyeosang'>gwiyeosang</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>ATEEZ (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst with a Happy Ending, Friendship, Happy!!!, Hongjoong is the best leader, It's still weird that that's something that I am personally able to tag, Kang Yeosang is sad, Team as Family, The Happiest of Ending, but - Freeform, friends - Freeform, how do people tag, it's happy!, it's nothing serious, it's still happy, it's very soft, like always, self doubt, soft, the author is projecting onto Yeosang, this is probably the happiest thing i've ever written honestly</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 07:47:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,087</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23134111</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/gwiyeosang/pseuds/gwiyeosang</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After a particularly cruel comment, Yeosang begins to doubt himself.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kang Yeosang &amp; Everyone</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>121</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Eight Makes One Team (Love me as I am)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Yeosang unlocked the door with a sigh, dropping his bag on the floor. His day was awful, made worse by the snide comments from their CEO’s assistant, who’s name he didn’t care to remember. He had simply asked for a day off, to ease his ankle pain he refused to tell Hongjoong about. It wasn’t like he asked to stay out of a performance. The day he asked for off was simply a day of recording and practice. He could make it up.</p>
<p>And yet the assistant’s words were… harsh. “<em>You’ll never get better if you ask for days off. You’ll continue to be mediocre. ATEEZ doesn’t need you; you have the same vocal colour as Yunho—he could take your lines.”</em></p>
<p>Yeosang knew it was true. Yunho and he had very similar tones—even Atiny got their voices confused at times. Their song Horizon was all him, and yet everyone wondered why he got no lines in the song until the dance practice got out. If even his stans couldn’t tell his voice apart from the other member’s, why was he even in the group…</p>
<p>He shook his head. He would get better at singing, make his voice known by more than just his lisp. Yeosang was determined, perhaps a little too determined. He grabbed his bag again and went back to the studio, exhaustion be damned.</p>
<p>And that’s where Hongjoong found him, three hours later. Yeosang’s voice was hoarse, eyes damp, as he continued to sing into the microphone. It wasn’t one of their songs, but he knew he couldn’t, wouldn’t, get better if he stayed in the same notes he always got. Hongjoong bit his bottom lip at a particularly painful-sounding voice crack.</p>
<p>“Yeosang, your voice won’t work  properly if you keep straining it,” he admonished the younger. The dancer wiped his eyes, and began to sing the verse from the beginning. “<em>Yeosang</em>.”</p>
<p>“I’m okay. I’ll do better.” He whispered. “I’ll drink honey tea and it’ll be fine.”</p>
<p>“You’re going to end up ruining your voice. What will we do then?” Hongjoong shook his head, already stressed at the thought of having to re-work lines to suit Yeosang’s voice. He already did that to allow the performer some time to shine; if his voice took a different tone, it may be even harder to work with.</p>
<p>“You’ll give the lines to Jongho or Yun-hyung or Hwa-hyung…” Yeosang turned away. “I won’t ruin my voice. I’ll make it stronger.”</p>
<p>“Yeosang, you’re being ridiculous. Come to bed, rest your voice. If you still feel this way in the morning, we’ll do vocal lessons together.” Hongjoong’s eyes softened. “I know you want more lines, I know you want to prove to everyone that you’re good enough. But you are, Yeosang. You’re an amazing vocalist. You’re an amazing performer. You were chosen for ATEEZ for a reason. They gave you a contract.”</p>
<p>Yeosang shook his head, not allowing himself to believe any of it. They had offered him a contract because Wooyoung begged, because he got popular for his face during KQ Fellaz. He wasn’t offered because he was <em>good</em>. He’s only a visual. The least important member. He swallowed and pushed a button to replay the song but Hongjoong slapped his hand away.</p>
<p>“I’m not telling you again, Kang Yeosang. Stop it and come home.” The leader’s voice held an annoyed edge to it and Yeosang swallowed, feeling even more guilty. He wasn’t good enough for Ateez, for Atiny, and now he was making his kind hearted leader annoyed. What was he even doing? “The others have a surprise for you anyway.”</p>
<p>“I don’t want… I don’t deserve…”</p>
<p>“I haven’t told you what it is. It could just be chicken nuggets from McDonalds.” Hongjoong grabbed Yeosang’s phone (not that the younger had paid any mind to it—that’s why Hongjoong ended up tracking him down) and led the boy out, locking up quickly. “Or even batteries for your drone. Are you saying you’re unworthy of even batteries?”</p>
<p>“I just.. don’t want you to spend mon—"</p>
<p>Hongjoong shushed him as they walked home, the moon shining down on him. Yeosang remained silent, lost in his thoughts. Once they reached the dorm, Hongjoong texted someone rapidly, face bright and happy. The door opened and strong arms pulled Yeosang inside.</p>
<p>“<em>Surprise!”</em> a loud cry echoed around the room. In front of Yeosang were his friends, all smiling bright and in front of <em>them</em> was a giant cake, three tiered and oh my god that was chocolate. Yeosang’s mouth watered at the sight of it, but he was so confused. What… What was this even for? What did he do to deserve….? And what about their diets? He glanced at Wooyoung and Seonghwa in concern.</p>
<p>“The assistant got fired today,” Jongho informed him, finally letting him go. “Hyung overheard what he said to you and let’s just say being KQ’s first trainee gives him a <em>lot</em> of leeway for what he can say in front of the CEO. And being Eden-nim’s pet isn’t necessarily an inconvenience either.”</p>
<p>“What…?”</p>
<p>“Hongjoong-hyung told management if anyone had anything to say about your skills—or any of ours—to come directly to him instead of thinking they have the right,” San smirked. “And then he proceeded to lay into the assistant reminding him that <em>he</em> worked for <em>us</em>, not the other way around. Hongjoong-hyung turned into <em>Karen</em>. It was amazing.”</p>
<p>Mingi laughed. “You left out the best part! Joong-hyung told the CEO that it was either he fired the assistant for insubordination or something, or he was taking all of us, the music he wrote for everyone, the music Eden-hyung and Maddox-hyung made for us, and <em>all</em> of his equipment and taking us to a different studio. Perhaps Zico-sunbaenim’s.”</p>
<p>“Why did you do that..” Yeosang turned to his leader. “That could have gotten you in so much trouble…. I don’t..”</p>
<p>“Eight makes one team, Yeosang. No matter what happens, you are part of this team. Now get your ass off that ankle before I put you on rest myself. Seonghwa, get the boy his cake.”</p>
<p>Yeosang laughed for what felt like the first time in days and shook his head as Seonghwa cut into the cake. A three tiered cake for getting someone fired? For being inconsiderate to him? None of it made sense, but it was <em>sweets</em>. He wasn’t about to complain.</p>
<p>He looked at his friends and smiled bright. He belonged right where he was, surrounded by people who truly cared about him.</p>
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